In honor of Marilyn Monroe, Drybar has teamed up with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment to introduce a new, limited time style – the “The Old Fashioned,” which is exactly what you’d imagine of a starlet’s coif during Monroe’s heyday. For the month of August at all Drybar locations, you too can give the retro-glam hairstyle a whirl. And, it’s the same price as Drybar’s other menu blow out styles ($40 in NYC, $35 elsewhere). Channel the glamour of the style while you relax at a gorgeous marble bar and watch the FOREVER MARILYN: THE BLU-RAY COLLECTION as it streams on large flatscreen TVs throughout the salon.
Courtesy of the brand, I took up the offer for a courtesy “Old Fashioned,” at the Drybar Le Parker Meridien location in NYC. Wearing a 1940s-inspired dress, trying to channel my best screen actor pout with a crimson matte lip. After a relaxing hair wash, I settled into the chair at the U-shaped bar with a lemon water in hand, taking in the adorably-placed succulent plants, and approving of the purse hooks and built-in iPhone charging stations.
My stylist Josh went right to work, and here are the three key essentials to mastering the look: 1) a 1/2 inch curling iron 2) lots of lightweight hairspray, and 3) about 45 minutes.
Josh placed tight curls all over my head, and with large pins and spray, set the part in place, combing out the curls from about two inches down from my roots and using the end of the comb to tuck and spray the ends into place. It was at once a lot of work and a beautiful result; having the right hair spray is so important to still allow the hair to have shine and movement, yet assertive hold.
We talked about the difference between creating this look fifty years ago compared with today, with the major difference being that back then, women would set their hair into tight pin curls with bobby pins and sleep with them in to get the look, which I remember my Grandma doing for years, a former beautician herself.
Later that night I attended the Style Coalition, ELLE Magazine and Downy new product event, and got oohs and ahs from my friends, telling me that I should do this look all of the time! I don’t disagree with them, but since I am short on time and aren’t the quickest with an iron, I might do a hybrid of execution, mimicking my Grandma’s pin curl production but ditch the Aquanet for my beloved Leonor Greyl, Tresemmé, Phyto, or Redken hairsprays instead.
What do you think — would you try “The Old Fashioned” at Drybar or at home?
–Julia DiNardo
ACK! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH IN THIS.